Spotted in Chelsea on Saturday: The Batmobile (1989 Model)

Towards the end of my gallery-hopping on Saturday, exiting David Zwirner on West 19th Street, I came across the sight above: an apparently functional replica of the Batmobile from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film. Thinking that Bruce Wayne probably would live in West Chelsea, I took a couple more pictures (after the jump) then approached a nearby security guard.

The security guard was keeping an eye on it parked outside Frank Gehry’s IAC building, even though in the movie the Batmobile totally has a kickass security system and would therefore never actually need surveillance. Rather than tell the guard that his job was redundant, I asked him if the car was there for a film shoot or a private event (the IAC lobby is a very sought-after event space). “Yeah, a private event,” he said, “it’s for a thirteen year-old boy’s Bar Mitzvah.” Mazel tov, you lucky, nerdy kid.